NATIONAL oil company Petronas is not considering any legal action against Sarawak or the state-owned oil and gas exploration firm Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) to preserve its monopoly as the sole guardian of the country’s oil and gas resources.
A joint statement by the Sarawak government, Petronas and Petros following their meeting at the Premier’s Office in Kuching today, stated that Petronas has confirmed that no legal action is being contemplated as claimed by Channel News Asia (CNA) in its September 7 news report.
The CNA news report claimed Petronas “is considering filing a court injunction” to stop it from transferring the supervision of oil and gas (O&G) trading in Sarawak to Petros.
Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg had given an October 1 deadline for Petronas to make the transfer.
He had said the ongoing discussions on the transfer must be completed before that date or a new arrangement will be carried out unilaterally.
The joint statement stated the Sarawak government, Petronas and Petros confirmed that discussions “are currently ongoing between the parties and to be concluded soon”.
The statement did not state the date.
“It is confirmed that no legal action is being contemplated by Petronas against Sarawak and Petros, and all parties respect and abide by federal and state laws regarding this matter,” the statement added.
CNA, citing “government officials close to the situation”, had claimed that Petronas is considering a legal recourse that would temporarily halt any action Sarawak could take against Petronas that would loosen its monopoly as the sole guardian of the country’s oil and gas resources.
Abang Johari, when asked by reporters in Singapore when he was there for the APPEC 2024 conference on September 9 on the CNA report, had said Petros and Petronas are still in discussions on the transfer.
He reiterated the deadline for the discussions between the two companies remains set for before October 1. - September 24, 2024
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